Other opposition parties such as DAP and Sabah’s opposition coalition Gabungan Sabah have expressed willingness to work with Warisan to form the next government.
They have also asked that Warisan, led by former Umno stalwart Shafie Apdal, sit down and negotiate seats.
However, certain quarters, Leiking said, are questioning Warisan’s previous statement that the party will not give BN free rein to contest any constituency uncontested in the upcoming election.
“We’ve always said we will not leave a single seat uncontested,” Leiking said during a ceremony to mark the first anniversary of Shafie leaving Umno here today.
“What we mean by this is that we’ll work with other genuine opposition parties in a complementary manner.
“We’re unlike some other opposition parties which only want a certain number of seats, leaving other areas to be won by BN without a challenge.
“What we’re saying is we’ll fight to win in certain areas and depend on other opposition parties to field candidates where we’re not contesting so that BN will face a challenge in all constituencies.
“Warisan isn’t going to field its candidates in all constituencies.
“We’re confident, but we’re not stupid to gamble with our chances.
“We’ll talk and negotiate on seats when the right time comes for us,” he said, adding the present time is not right to discuss seats but instead to unite Sabahans in seeking a change of government.
Leiking also clarified on the kind of opposition parties Warisan is willing to cooperate with.
“Our criteria in cooperating with other parties is not where the party is from – whether from Sabah or West Malaysia.
“What we look at is who in the party makes the decisions for that party. We want that person to be someone from Sabah, not West Malaysia.
“We want to work with only full Sabah-controlled opposition parties. We can’t let outsiders decide what we need in this state.”
Warisan will cooperate with Pakatan Harapan’s nationwide roadshow to spread awareness on the 1MDB issue, said Leiking.
“Pakatan Harapan has invited us and all other opposition parties to take part in the 1MDB road show.
“Our position and the position of all law-abiding citizens require those who break the law to be held accountable.
“So we will work with Pakatan and other opposition parties to make this campaign a success.
“We’ll work along with them, but we won’t necessarily listen to everything all other parties have to say. We’ll listen to our own conscience.”